New JK Rowling Story Tackles Wizard Segregation

JK Rowling’s new short story deals with the segregation of the magic and non-magic communities in America.

Entitled “Rappaport’s Law,” the story on Pottermore details why the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) was forced to institute laws that would keep the two worlds separate.

In the story, a young witch named Dorcus Twelvetrees, who is said to “[concentrate] mainly on her clothes, the arrangement of her hair and parties,” made the mistake of becoming smitten with a young man who harbored a secret hatred of magic.

Without thinking, she told him about MACUSA, the American wizarding school Ilvermorny, and ways that the magical community hid itself within the United States.

This man used the information to print up leaflets detailing what Twelvetrees told him, along with the addresses of Ilvermony and suspected witches and wizards.

Not many gave credence to the man’s claims, however, and he was eventually arrested when he shot at a group of people he mistook for witches and wizards. Nevertheless, the damage was already done.

Emily Rappaport, head of MACUSA at the time, instituted Rappaport’s Law to stop the damage. The law states that stated that the magical community could no longer associate with No-Majs (the American equivalent of muggles).

“Wizards were no longer allowed to befriend or marry No-Majs,” the story reads. “Penalties for fraternising with No-Majs were harsh. Communication with No-Majs was limited to that necessary to perform daily activities.”

“Rappaport’s Law” is the third of four planned stories Rowling will release to establish a backstory for the upcoming film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

The film, based on the fictional textbook of the same name, follows wizard and magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he travels to New York in the 1920’s.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be released on Nov. 18.

16 of the Highest Grossing Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of All Time

"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
The Dr. Seuss classic is the only holiday-oriented picture on the list, besting "Jaws" by less than $5,000.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The first of a series of films based on the work of C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" grossed $291 million.

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
As a whole, the Stephenie Meyer-created "The Twilight Saga" has grossed more than $1.3 billion across five films, but the most successful was "Eclipse," which made over $300.5 million.

"Forrest Gump" (1994)
The award-winning film starring Tom Hanks in the titular role earned well over $329.6 million, a beloved movie based on the Winston Groom novel.

"Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
Though there's been several adaptations of Lewis Carroll's fantastic 1865 novel, no version has been more successful than Disney's interpretation starring Johnny Depp, which took in more than $334 million at the box office.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
"The Return of the King" grossed $378 million, earning the most of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of the adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's series earned more than $315 million.

"Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2" (2011)
The epic finale of the beloved "Harry Potter" series grossed more than $381 million, bringing the domestic box office grand total to $2.39 billion. The wild success of the franchise made its creator, J.K. Rowling, the first and (so far) only billionaire author.

"Jurassic Park" (1993)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D release, the flick made $402 million on its initial release. Michael Crichton, author of the novel, had his hands on the screenplay as well.

"Spider-Man" (2002)
Sony's Marvel Comics superhero adaptation "Spider-Man" shot to the top of the box office upon release, raking in more than $403.7 million. Its sequels, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" were less successful but still earned a combined $710.1 million.

"Iron Man 3" (2013)
The only movie released this year that made the list is "Iron Man 3," and it's a figure Tony Stark would be proud of: $405 million. The trio of movies, starring another Marvel Comics-created superhero, made well over $1 billion worldwide.

"The Hunger Games" (2012)
The highly anticipated sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is expected to do big business at the box office after its Suzanne Collins-penned predecessor, "The Hunger Games," took in more than $408 million.

"The Lion King" (1994) Filmmakers of "The Lion King" said that the Disney animated film's story is inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Bible. The picture raked in more than $422 million at the box office.

"Shrek 2" (2004) William Steig's picture book "Shrek!" has spawned a major franchise, with the second film about the green ogre grossing the most, $441.2 million.

"The Dark Knight" (2008)The most successful take on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy took in almost $1.2 billion combined. The film also gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar and brought well over half a billion on its own.

"Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)The Marvel Comics superhero team smashed box office records, earning more than $623.3 million, making it the most successful comic book adaptation to hit theaters to date.

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From "Twlight" to "Harry Potter" to "The Dark Knight" — here are some of the most successful literary adaptations at the domestic box office

"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.